Music

A federal jury has found singer R. Kelly guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking involving interactions with six women, among them the late singer Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash in 2001.

The verdict came in Monday afternoon after two days of deliberations following a six-week trial in Brooklyn federal court.  Kelly’s face was concealed by a mask as the verdict was read, making it difficult to see what reaction he may have had.

Kelly, 54, whose birth name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, had pleaded not guilty to all charges and told a Brooklyn judge that he would not testify. He now awaits sentencing.

Kelly previously avoided prison in 2008 when he was acquitted on 14 counts in a highly publicized child pornography case.  However, this time around, the jury believed Kelly was the ringleader of a criminal enterprise that bolstered his music, his image and his sexual gratification by recruiting women and girls for sex, holding them against their will and threatening them if they misbehaved.

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Britney Spears‘ lawyer Matthew Rosengart has already filed paperwork with the court explaining why Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, should be removed immediately as her conservator at a court hearing due to take place on September 29.  But he’s now filed yet another document, obtained by ABC News, citing information in a new documentary that he asserts is further evidence that it’s imperative to get rid of Jamie.

The New York Times reported the claim — also featured in the new FX/Hulu/New York Times documentary Controlling Britney Spears — that Mr. Spears and a security firm he hired secretly bugged Britney’s bedroom and recorded her conversations with her boyfriend, her kids and her former lawyer, and also monitored her phone, email and text conversations.

The New York Times noted, and Rosengart also mentions, that in the state of California, recording conversations in a private place like a bedroom and “mirroring” texts without both parties’ consent could be illegal. 

In his filing, Rosengart calls the alleged monitoring “horrifying and unconscionable,” and notes that attorney/client communications in particular are “a sacrosanct part of the legal system.”

“Regardless of the outcome of the allegations, what cannot be genuinely disputed is how deeply upsetting they are to Ms. Spears,” Rosengart adds, pointing out that the only issue the court may consider is whether booting Jamie Spears is in the “best interests” of Britney Spears, which he says it clearly is.

In a statement to ABC News, Rosengart says that the alleged monitoring is a “striking example of the deprivation of [Britney’s] civil liberties,” and adds that if her bedroom was indeed bugged, it “corroborates so much of her compelling, poignant testimony.”

“Mr. Spears,” says Rosengart, “has crossed unfathomable lines.”

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The Weeknd and Angelina Jolie were spotted out having dinner together again over the weekend.

In photos obtained by British tabloid The Daily Mail, the two were seen Saturday at Giorgio Baldi restaurant in Santa Monica, California. They reportedly spent over two hours in a private section of the restaurant, before leaving together in the same vehicle.

It’s not the first time the 31-year-old singer and the 46-year-old actress have enjoyed each other’s company. They were previously seen grabbing dinner together at the same restaurant back in June, and attending the same concert in July.

Their outings have sparked questions about the nature of their relationship — are they dating, just friends or working on a project together?

The Weeknd has been getting into more TV and film projects as of late, and sources speculate that he and Jolie could be meeting for business, not pleasure. But if you’ll remember, The Weeknd also once referenced Angelina in his song “Party Monster,” with the lyrics describing a beautiful woman as having “lips like Angelina.”

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Dream Theater‘s upcoming fall U.S. tour has been postponed because of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

“This was an extraordinarily challenging decision to make but needed to be done after taking into consideration the varying local mandates across North America,” the prog metallers write in a statement. “In an effort to present the absolute most complete and engaging Dream Theater experience that our fans around the globe have come to expect, we feel we are all best served to postpone all touring activities to early 2022.”

The tour, which was originally scheduled to launch at the end of October, is now expected to kick off in February of next year, although the exact new dates have yet to be announced.

Dream Theater is set to release a new album called A View from the Top of the World on October 22.

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Thomas Rhett had the special opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a Chicago Cubs baseball game. 

Before headlining Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in the Windy City, the country star took the mound at Wrigley Field Sunday to throw out the symbolic first pitch at the Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals game. 

A series of photos from the event shows Thomas running onto the field with a ball and glove in hand, embracing player #48, Rex Brothers, before striking an impressive pitcher’s stance on the mound. He also shared a snap of he and wife Lauren Akins, who is pregnant with their fourth daughter, in their Cubs jerseys and ball caps on the field. 

“One for the books!! Thank you @cubs for letting me throw the first pitch today. Love this city so much,” Thomas shares in the caption. 

Thomas continues on his Center Point Road Tour through October 9.

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She took a loss on it, but Kelly Clarkson has finally managed to unload the Encino, California home she shared with her soon-to-be-ex-husband after first listing it in May of 2020.

Realtor.com reports that after splitting with husband Brandon Blackstock, who will officially become her ex-husband on January 7, 2022, she listed the mansion, described as a “modern farmhouse,” for just under $10 million. She then slashed the price twice before closing the deal this month for $8.24 million; it cost $8.5 million in 2018.

Kelly’s “farmhouse” is more than 10,000 square feet, and includes eight bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, two half-baths, a home theater, a fitness center, a game room, a wine cellar, a three-car garage, a multi-level pool, fire pit, outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and a two-bedroom guesthouse. 

Some of the neighbors she’s leaving include Nick Jonas and Selena Gomez.

This past summer, Kelly also sold her home in Hendersonville, TN for just over $6 million, and bought a five-bedroom house in Toluca Lake for a mere $5.45 million.

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Young Thug, Gunna, Bia, Lil Jon, Baby Keem and Isaiah Rashad will be among the stars performing at the BET Hip Hop Awards on October 5 In Atlanta. Big Daddy Kane will pay special tribute to the late Biz Markie, who passed away July 16 in New York City at the age of 57.

Trina, ​Remy Ma, Jermaine Dupri and Tank will also appear as presenters. As previously reported, Nelly will be honored with the I Am Hip Hop Award for career achievement.

Cardi B, Lil Durk and Megan Thee Stallion lead all artists with nine nominations each, followed by Drake, with eight nods.

DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller and Chico Bean from the 85 South digital comedy show will host for the second year in a row.

The 16th annual BET Hip Hop Awards will air Tuesday, October 5 at 9 p.m. on BET

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When Machine Gun Kelly recently dissed Slipknot as “50 years old, wearing a f***ing weird mask on a f***ing stage,” he angered a lot of the beloved metal outfit’s fans, including Trivium frontman Matt Heafy.

In a tweet over the weekend, Heafy wrote, “I’d like to formally diss Machine Gun Kelly for ‘being 31 years old wearing a f***ing 16 year old pop punk cosplay identity on a f***ing stage.'”

If that didn’t adequately get his point across, Heafy provided MGK with a new nickname: “Squirt Gun Smelly.”

“I never thought about [Kelly] till he took a shot at Slipknot — who are a band who’s paved the way for bands like mine. Thousands of bands like mine,” Heafy added. “Squirt Gun is a clout chaser. And even though it’s all a PR stunt, a shot at SK needs an addressing.”

In addition to the online criticism, Kelly also learned how metal fans felt about him in person during his set at the Louder than Life festival over the weekend, which was met with a roar of boos from the crowd.

Kelly first slung his diss at Slipknot during his performance at Riot Fest earlier this month. Bad blood between him and Knot frontman Corey Taylor apparently stems from a scrapped collaboration between the two that was planned for Kelly’s 2020 album, Tickets to My Downfall.

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A rare electric guitar that The Ramones‘ Johnny Ramone played and recorded with from 1977 to 1996 sold for more than $900,000 at a rock memorabilia auction held over the weekend in Boston.

The 1965 Mosrite Ventures II model, which the late guitarist used at every Ramones gig from November 1977 through the band’s final concert in August of ’96, fetched $937,500, according to the Boston-based RR Auction company.

Ramone, born John Cummings, played the Mosrite at nearly 2,000 shows and also used it to record most of The Ramones’ albums.

The guitar has a white body and a black pickguard, and Johnny signed the back in black marker, “Johnny Ramone, My Main Guitar, 1977-1996.”

The instrument was one of many Ramones-related items sold at the auction, which offered memorabilia from a collection belonging to veteran producer and musician Daniel Rey, a longtime associate of the legendary punk band.

“The consignor was thrilled with the results and is very happy that the guitar is in the hands of someone who will curate Johnny Ramone’s Mosrite for future generations to enjoy,” says RR Auction executive Bobby Livingston.

The winning bidder wished to remain anonymous.

Among the other items sold at the auction was a blue Mosrite Mark-2 Johnny Ramone signature model guitar owned and played by Johnny, which brought $46,875. In addition, three Shure microphones that Ramones frontman Joey Ramone used at the group’s final concert, which took place in Los Angeles in August 1996, fetched $13,125.

You can check out the full results of the sale at RRAuction.com.

Johnny died of prostate cancer at age 55 in 2004.

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